Counselling and Psychotherapy in Inverness and Online
Privacy Policy —
Sarah Manson Psychotherapy
Contact details
The type of personal information I collect
We currently collect and process the following information: Your name, address, contact details including telephone numbers and email addresses. If we agree to work together I will also ask for your date of birth, GP name/address, and emergency contact name, address and phone number.
I may also keep short notes of client sessions. These will be anonymised so you cannot be identified. I am not legally required to keep notes of client sessions, but it is considered to be good practice. These help me to remember significant areas we have been working on. You have the right to request that I do not keep notes of my sessions with you, or to see any notes I have in relation to your therapy session
How I get the personal information and why I have it
The personal information I process is provided to me directly by you.
Initial enquiries to Sarah Manson Psychotherapy usually contain some personal information such as names, emails and phone numbers. They may be received in person, by phone, text, email or web form. Emails are received directly to myself, through my Counselling Directory listing or via a web form on my website.
Once we agree to work together, I will request that you complete a client details form. This will include your name, email, phone, address, date of birth and GP surgery, as well as an emergency contact. You will also be required to sign a Counselling Contract (hard copy or electronically). These documents are either given to me in hard copy or can be emailed directly.
Any client data collected and/or retained by Sarah Manson Psychotherapy (including personal information) is processed in order to make relevant contact with you and to provide you with my therapeutic counselling service. It is also processed in order to comply with any legal or professional body responsibilities that ensue in the delivery of counselling services.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful bases I rely on for collecting and holding your personal data are:
- Contractual obligation – I cannot offer you my services without holding data such as name and contact details
- Legal obligation – I need to hold data for legal purposes such as providing tax records
- Legitimate interest – I need to hold and store data for the purposes of running my practice and protecting my interests.
I do not share personal identifying information with anyone or any other business, except in the following rare situations:
- With your consent – I may share your information with other professionals or others whom you have requested or agreed we should contact.
- Serious harm – I may share your information with the relevant authorities if I have reason to believe that this may prevent serious harm being caused to you or another person.
- Compliance with the law – I will share your information where I am required to by law.
How I store your personal information
All information is securely stored at Sarah Manson Psychotherapy.
I use an online client management software system to store all client information, including your name, all contact details, GP practice, emergency contact number and any clinical notes.
The signed counselling contract will also be stored electronically and is password protected.
If we work together, session notes will be destroyed 7 years after the end of counselling, in line with legal GDPR requirements. After this time, data is disposed of securely and confidentially via deletion of electronic records and shredding or incineration of paper records. If you contact me to make an enquiry I will hold your details for 6 months.
To find out more about GDPR and your rights, please see: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/ or https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/.
Third party data collection & processing
The Sarah Manson Psychotherapy website is hosted by Webhealer, and contact may be made directly through the website using the web form. You can see Webhealer’s privacy policy here: https://www.webhealer.net/privacy-policy/.
The Sarah Manson Psychotherapy website collects visitor information through Google Analytics. This information is anonymised and should not personally identify you. You can see Google’s privacy policy here: https://policies.google.com/privacy.
Sarah Manson Psychotherapy is listed on Counselling Directory, and contact may be made through these sites. You can see their privacy policy here: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/privacy.html.
Living Will
In the event of my death or incapacitation through illness, a nominated person (also a qualified counsellor) will receive the names and contact details of my current clients. This person will contact my current clients to inform them of my situation.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about my use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to me using the contact details at the top of this privacy policy. You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how I have used your data.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
ICO Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
website: https://www.ico.org.uk
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me using this form, or by emailing me at sarahmansontherapy@proton.me.
This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.
To view my Privacy Policy, please click here.